Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-03-09
Testing "a Mind Readers Skill.

Washington Irving Bishop, the mind read.
err, last Saturday issued invitstions toa num-
Der of ladies and gentlemen, asking them to
assemble at the Hoffman House. in New
York, to see an experiment. They came, an
incredulous crowd, filled with desire to be
unconvinced, and looking upon Mr. Bishop
with mild liberation.
Then he explained what be intended
doing A committee Of well known gentle.
men. against whom no suspicion OF confed-
eracy could be entertained, was to be select
ed by the guests 10 euperntend the expert.
ment They were 30 conceal an OBJECT
within one mile of the Hoffman House
After the object had been concealed Mr..
Bishop declared that he would submit TO be
blindfoded ami 10 have his head enveloped
in g sack through which sight would be i'm
possible, and, being attached to the com.
mittee by about is feet OF thread-iike wire,
would drive blindfolded 10 the spot where
the article was concealed, returning with it
in less than one hour.
4 medallion Belonging to Mrs. Frank
Leslie was entrusted TO Col. T. w Knox,
DR.. Hoyt, r. G. Bunner and II. G. Carle-
ton. They went cut Of tho hotel with
it, and were gone half an hour. Then
Mr. Bishop with his eyes bandaged and
his head in black bag and himself
attached to each Of the three committeeman
by wire, was led down to a tWo-seated
open wagon which stood in the dense crowd
before the door. Mr.. Bishop was assisted 10
the drivers seat. DR.. Hoyt climbed up be-
side him and Col. Knox aud Mr.. Carleton
took the back seat. MIR. Bunner remained
behind in the parlor. where he wrote down
on a piece Of paper the place where She me.
dallion pin was concealed, putting the ps-
per in an envelope to be opened when Mr..
Bishop returned When the wagoa started
the committeemep held their nara hands
close to A1r. Bishops hooded head for mo-
ment, and then Bishop, with tight grip on
the reins, started the borses toward Broad
way with several carriages and about five
hundred people following in his wake. He
picked his way carefully through Broadway
aud when he reached the north side of Mad
ison square, started the horses off at
brisk trot, swarm OF able bodied
and apparently rational mon joining
in the mob of boot blacks aud news
boys ihat swarmed after him. The
wires connecting Bishop with the COM
mitteemeu hung loosely and none of the
hands held near the mind readers head
touched him
The bindfolded driver avoided ell We
hic!es. driving at lively trot to the east
side OF Madison square, then to Twenty
third street, then to Fourth avenue, and
then to Eighteenth street. At Eighteenth
street he hestated for moment. He then
turned and went quickly to Irving place,
where he turned to the left and headed for
Gramercy Park. Al Gramercy Park
Bishop stopped his horses, climbed quickly
to the ground, and ran so swiftly that the
committee had all they wanted to do 10
keep track of him. At the Gramercy Park
Hotel be stopped for o moment, and thon
skipped up the steps and entered the door,
which was opened just long enough to let
him and his painting escort in, and was then
closed just in time to shut out the crowd.
After FIVE minutes Mr.. Bishop appeared
with the wraps Off his head, his face flushed,
and his eyes dancing with excitement. He
held aloft the pin and the crowd cheered.
Then he got into the wagon and held the
pin up again, and the crowd cheered again,
and the mind resder and his committee
drove quietly back to the hotel by the near.
est route.
AS Mr.. Bishop entered the parlor he was
greeted with hand clapping, and, when qui-
ct came Col. Knox said: MIR. Bishop found
the pin under 8 vase which stood on the man
tel in the south side of the reception room of
the Gramercy Park Hotel.n Then Judge Ged-
ney opened the sealed envelope, took from
it the bit Of paper on which Mr.. burner had
written The hiding place of the pin, and
read "The pin was concealed under vase
on the mantel at the south side of the re-
ceptiou room of the Gramercy Park Hotel"
-(Ni. ~, ,rn1r-
Hoyt said that when Mr.. Bishop took the
bandage off his eyes, after discovering the
pin, his pulse was bounding away ct the rate
of 152 beats to the minute.